Troops on brink of Fallujah strike
07/11/2004 - 22:29:54US troops seized their first part of rebel territory in Fallujah tonight as the Iraqi government declared 60 days of emergency rule throughout most of the country.
Troops sealed off Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad, and captured a small guerrilla-held territory at the edge of the city, which included an insurgent medical aid station where several people were taken prisoner.
An AC-130 gunship, meanwhile, launched airstrikes after sundown as residents reported fierce exchanges of fire on the outskirts of the city.
As American troops began final preparations for battle, commanders warned them to expect the most brutal urban fighting since the Vietnam War.
| Related Stories: |
|
